Senior Fellow in Labor Policy

Robert P. Hunter served as the regional director of the Federal Labor Relations Authority in Washington, D.C., and is the senior fellow in labor policy for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Hunter was director of labor policy for the Mackinac Center from 1996 to 2003.

For the Mackinac Center, Hunter researches critical employment issues and educates key Michigan audiences including elected officials, policymakers, labor and business executives, and opinion leaders.

President Ronald Reagan appointed Hunter to the National Labor Relations Board in 1981, where he adjudicated more than 3000 labor law cases. He served as Chief Counsel to the U. S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources in 1981. He also served as the chief legislative staffer for U. S. Senators Robert Taft Jr. and Orrin Hatch.

In December 1996, Hunter was appointed by Governor John Engler to the Michigan Civil Service Commission, which has plenary constitutional authority to create and operate the state employment system.

Hunter has authored numerous articles for prestigious publications such as Michigan's Wayne Law Review, and has prepared and delivered over 200 speeches and lectures to national audiences on vital labor issues.

Hunter is a former faculty member of the Johns Hopkins University Graduate Business School and has served as labor policy advisor to the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, the Society for Human Resource Management, and other organizations.

Throughout a decade of private practice with a major international law firm, Hunter has helped hundreds of clients implement positive alternative strategies to resolve labor issues.

Hunter is admitted to practice before the U. S. Supreme Court and belongs to several state bar associations. He received his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School and he holds a master of laws degree in labor law from the New York University School of Law.